La La Lessons - Secrets, tricks, and strategies to playing your song via Skype

I create experiences
unique to every student.

Conservatory training
     Pop sensibilities

I share knowledge, inspire, and help you explore your favorite musical styles!

Now available for limited Skype Lessons!

Song arrangements
that you can actually play

Learn how to play that song - at your ability!

It's hard to figure out how to play a song well.  There are all sorts of shortcuts that can make it a lot easier!

I offer Skype lessons to select students who contact me, often after watching one of my YouTube videos.  In many of them I show several ways to play a song, depending on experience and technical abilities.  The main thing I do is find a way to play a song musically -- play it in time with notes that make it sound "like the song" so that people really know what you're playing!

For more advanced students, I can take it further and talk about what's going on, such as what the chords are, good strategies for fingering, etc.  My lessons cover a wide range of topics -- from classical to jazz, pop to salsa, theory to writing.

Let's set up a Skype session!  Please email me at [email protected] for current rates and availability.

What's in a piano lesson?  You might think it's all about scales, repetition, and classical music.  It certainly can be about classical music, but it might also be understanding how to put chords together for songwriting.  It could be how to play the latest Ed Sheeran song, jamming on a classic by Stevie Wonder, or learning how jazz chords work.  It could be about learning salsa music or gospel! 

In fact, I often like to call my meetings Sessions.  I find terms like "Lessons", "Recital", and even "Teach" full of baggage and not always accurate.  I often learn nearly as much from my students as they do from me!  Especially with older students, I find that sessions are often more about exploration and exchanging ideas than they are about "Do what I tell you to do".

I often make arrangements of songs for my students.  It's not easy to find a version of a song that sounds like the song and can be played!  Often the music I find online is too hard, too easy, or doesn't really sound "like the song".  I listen to the song and make sheet music that fits the skills of my students, pushing musically but still playable.

This also allows us to play songs that may not have sheet music, such as EDM tracks.  I've created pop, rock, gospel, jazz, and many other types of arrangements.  Many of my younger (and not-so-young) students love to play current hits for their friends!

What makes my piano Meetings special?

Lots of teachers can teach classical music.  Other teachers can teach pop. Some teach jazz, and a tiny handful can teach salsa.  How many teachers can create and teach from custom arrangements of songs?  How many of those actually dedicate the time to do so?

I have a classical Conservatory pedigree (6 generations removed from Beethoven!), extensive knowledge of jazz, pop, salsa, and composing, and the ability to inspire students from ages 5 to 95!

Being a lifelong trained musician makes it easier for me to quickly come up with creative ways to help you make music better!

I use a mixture of materials to teach: some students blossom with traditional "method book" structure, where they learn playing, reading, and music the way it's been done for generations.

Some want to dive straight into harmony, learning chords, pop music, and how songs are made.

Some love a mixture of approaches: learning how to read while including contemporary styles in the songs chosen.

I'm great at figuring out the best mix of discipline and creativity, and it's different with every student!